Page 36 of Love Limits

They held their breath, waiting for Marco’s response. There were a lot of Daddy Doms who weren’t into those things.

I’m sure you’ll find someone, he replied gently. It looked like there was even a flash of pain or longing behind his eyes. But it wasn’t for Ash.

Do you have a partner?

Sort of. I mean… I have a key to his house. He reached under the table, probably to pat the pocket where the key resided.

Did your sub just give it to you?

Marco smiled, looking dreamy for a moment. Yeah. Last week.

That sounds like a pretty big commitment.

Marco tipped his head from side to side. We’re supposed to be casual, though. And I think he’s looking for someone who’s a lot more hard-core than I am. Like, I’m a bit of a sadist and I like taking care of my partners out of the bedroom. His last relationship was 24/7, high protocol. And I can’t give that to him. So it’s like… almost what I want but not quite.

Ugh. That sucks. I feel you.

Do you have someone like that, too?

Kind of?

Marco nodded encouragingly.

Ash really needed someone they could talk things through with. This stranger who was also a Daddy Dom and already had a boy in mind might be just the person.

So there is someone. I just met him a few weeks ago, but we’ve been hanging out maybe twice a week. I thought there was really something between us but it turns out I was reading all the signals wrong. He’s asexual. So he’s basically my dream Daddy but he’s not kinky. It’s just… it’s a mess.

Ooh. That’s a tough one. Does he act like a Daddy though?

Like you wouldn’t believe. He zips my coat and makes me bedtime snacks.

Marco laughed, drawing the attention of a few of the folks sitting next to them. Ash always thought it was funny when that happened; hearing people always seemed to be surprised when Deaf folks made noise, too. They smiled at the onlookers and returned to the conversation.

Are you sure he’s not interested, though? There are definitely a lot of asexual kinky people.

Yeah, I’m sure. They sighed. He says that he’s just figuring out that he’s romantic, but he only wants to date someone who’s also ace. So he does want a committed relationship, but not with someone sexual, and probably not involving anything kinky. We’re incompatible.

That sucks. Would you be interested in dating him, though, knowing that he’s ace and vanilla? Marco was great. These were all the right questions.

I mean… I really don’t know. We’re still getting to know each other and we have a lot of good conversations. But he just pushes all of my Daddy buttons so hard. Whenever I’m around him I just slip into this space where I don’t have to worry about anything because I know he’ll take care of it.

After only a few weeks?

I know, right? Did I mention that he packs me lunches to take to work? And he just ordered a bunch of new board games that we can play together.

Wow. I see what you mean.

So I’m not imagining it, right?

Sounds like a Daddy, alright. Marco looked wistful. He probably wanted to do the same thing for his boy. Do you think you could make it work with him, though, if he was interested? If you were getting all of your needs met in one area, even if the kinks don’t quite line up?

It was a really good question. Ash also got the sense that Marco was trying to figure something like that out for himself. How much of your D/s needs could you adapt for your partner? How much could they adapt for you?

I don’t have any idea, they finally admitted. I want to say that it wouldn’t matter but…

Marco gave a sad smile. Some things really aren’t negotiable.

Yeah. I’m not quite sure where my lines are. I think not having age play, puppy play, or sex would be too much. But… who knows. Not that he’s interested in dating me anyway. Probably a moot point.